The Know Daily - Monday 14 August 2023

_{Read in 5m 24s ∙ Listening to Halle}

The overall winner of the Comedy Pet Photography Awards 2023 has been announced - and we reckon it’s a pretty purrrfect shot. Owner Michel Zoghzoghi took this winning photo of rescue kittens Alex and Max at home - and we seriously recommend checking out the other category leaders here.

🤖 From ChatGPT to ChatGP?

A new survey carried out by a children’s charity has found that as many as one in 10 young people in the UK have relied on AI chatbots for advice about sexual health and periods.

What’s the story?
According to an exclusive report in the i newspaper, published today, increasing numbers of young people across the country have been turning to chatbots such as ChatGPT for information about sexual health.

The paper quotes research by Plan International UK, which surveyed 1,200 16-25-year-olds and found that 9% of young women and 8% of young men have used AI for sexual health advice. The children’s charity also found that 12% of young women and girls “have used AI to ask questions about periods”.

Why is this problematic?
There is a downside to ChatGPT being used as, well, a GP. AI chatbots run the risk of providing young people with “inaccurate information” and may not “[meet] the needs of all young people including different genders, ethnicities and sexual identities”, Plan’s director of communications told the i.

A test carried out by the paper found that ChatGPT responded clearly and factually to questions about sexual health and periods. However, AI researcher Sinem Görücü warned that the safety measures on such open-source systems could be deactivated, with the bots coaxed into generating “biased, false and otherwise toxic information”.

What else should I know?
Sex education in England is currently under review and new statutory guidance is expected within the next couple of months. The guidance will then be subject to public consultation and could come into force soon after that, likely by the end of 2023.

The review was accelerated by the PM in March after Conservative MP Miriam Cates told the Commons that pupils were being subjected to relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) classes that were “age inappropriate, extreme, sexualising and inaccurate”.

Is there another side to this?
Yep. Teaching unions, charities and related organisations have raised concerns that the review could be “politically motivated”, said The Guardian.

“It is worth remembering that the current curriculum was subject to extensive consultation before it was introduced,” James Bowen of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) told the paper. He added that the NAHT has seen “no evidence to suggest there is a widespread problem with pupils being presented with age-inappropriate materials”.

 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Calling all monster hunters

A new search for the mythical Loch Ness monster is taking place later this month - and the team behind it is looking for volunteers…

Tell me more.
On 26 and 27 August, the Loch Ness Centre is set to undertake the biggest search in 50 years for the legendary creature, using high-tech equipment to search the lake in a way that hasn’t been done before. “This includes thermal drones to observe heat signals, and a hydrophone, to detect ‘Nessie-like calls’,” reported The Independent.

The centre is looking for volunteers to take part in the surface watch, keeping an eye out for “breaks in the water and any inexplicable movements”.

How did the legend begin?
Tales of ‘Nessie’ stretch back hundreds of years, but the first modern sighting came in 1933, when hotel manager Aldie Mackay reported spotting a “water beast” in the loch. This kicked off a worldwide fascination with finding the creature - and a number of hoaxes.

Perhaps the most infamous of these came in 1934, when the first-ever ‘photo’ of the alleged monster was published in the Daily Mail.

So what are the most popular theories?
Numerous “explanations” have been suggested over the years, “including that the creature may have been a plesiosaur, a prehistoric marine reptile, giant eels or even swimming circus elephants”, said the Associated Press. There’s also a school of thought that the whole thing is utter fiction.

This latest search is aiming to clear up some of the mystery surrounding the legendary creature - will you be waiting with bated breath to see what they discover?

👏 Eco-friendly upgrades: UK households installed a record number of solar panels and heat pumps in the first half of the year, according to new figures.

🚭 Anti-smoking info: Messages encouraging smokers to quit could be placed inside cigarette packets under new proposals being considered by the government. The inserts could include information about health benefits and the money that could be saved by quitting.

🚘 Wrong side of the road: Incidents of vehicles being driven the wrong way on England’s motorways rose to almost 900 in the last year - an increase of 13%, according to new figures. The rise is thought to be linked to an over-reliance on satnavs.

💰Funding boost: Organisations tackling domestic violence will receive a further £3 million from the mayor of London’s Violence Against Women and Girls Grassroots Fund. It comes as charities are raising concerns over the cost-of-living crisis making it difficult for women to escape from their abusers.

 🪶 Literature - Taylor’s Version: Ghent University in Belgium has launched a Taylor Swift-inspired literature course. The singer’s work will reportedly be used as a springboard to explore everything from 14-century texts to Sylvia Plath - would you sign up for it?

Trivia answer: B) The object picked up by the James Webb telescope looked just like a question mark. Experts reckon that it was probably caused by two galaxies colliding - but some news outlets think that perhaps the universe is trying to tell us something…

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